Long Way Home

Walk On

Pup on the leash

Shoes on my feet

Out the door

Around the cul-de-sac

Up the path to the park

Past softball game

Kids and dogs run up to pet the fluffy

Dog passing by

Walking up the hill

Two girls on bikes ride by

Smiles

Lady walks in front of us

Frown

As she looks back

We pass her

She goes straight

We turn left

Past the yipping poodles

That nip at each other’s snouts

A quick “hello” to the frantic woman

Holding the leash

Stop at the street

Wait

Cross

Boys play basketball on the driveway

Shouts and jumps

Down the path between the fences

The left is my favorite

It’s an untamed backyard

Blooming wild with flowers and grasses

Purple violets

Brown prairie grass

Pink honeysuckle

A bunny hops along

Stop to watch it go

Continue on

Puppy pulls ahead

Stop at the corner

Look both ways

Down the sidewalk

Let car go by

Turn right

Into the American neighborhood with the French name

Sign reads “Children at play”

But I’ve hardly seen a soul

Out of their house

Pup wants to go left

Pull straight

Turn right on path

That looks like it’s not there

Person watching television

In their brown brick home

Bird startles puppy

Gentle strokes

Calming tone

Walk on

Down the path

Man walks into his house

White shirt

Black slacks

Through the sliding glass door

Ahead wild flowers

Bell flowers

Pick one

Grasp in hand

Step forward

A flower falls off

But keep going

Ahead a family works on the garden

A woman

A young lady

And a young man

Maybe he was a boy

Unclear

He smiles

And receives a small one in return

Head to the ground

Walk on

Smile to self

Walk single-file with pup

Branches in the path

Down the trail

Don’t turn right at the first turn

But the second

Take in the view

Of the drainage basin

With flowing green grasses

And lined with willow trees

Halfway around the circle

Tell pup left

She goes

And down back

New path

Past closed swimming pool

And deserted tennis court

Past the ditch where bikes have been ridden down

Left

Wait for the silver car

Man and a woman inside

Back down the path

Now it is the right full of the wild

Because the route is now in reverse

Party music down the street

Where the houses are huge and beautiful

Back into the park

To the left is a field

A biker sits in the middle of it

He shouts at the sky

Turn right for the shortcut

Through the grass

Past the willow trees

Tangled in your hair

“Ready?”

Run past the softball field

Flower stem breaks in hand

But must continue on

Run on

Breathing, breathing

Slow      to          a            w    a    l    k

Fix hair

Walk past neighbor’s empty pool

Across the street

Skateboarder rolls by

Back to the cul-de-sac

Around the short way

Pup panting

Up the driveway

Open front door

And walk on